ROCKLAND, Maine — The Rockland area school board gave its administration marching orders to come up with three plans to cut the budget.
The board on Thursday evening directed the superintendent and business manager to return with budget cuts of $500,000, $700,000 and $1 million to allow members to see what those size cuts would mean. The next meeting is scheduled for July 13.
Superintendent John McDonald urged the board to not make cuts that would harm programs and students. He said the board owes it to the students to have good schools, saying good schools make good communities.
Residents in the five communities of Regional School Unit 13 rejected the proposed $25.9 million budget by a vote of 793 to 524 at the first referendum on June 9. The Thursday evening meeting followed a Wednesday evening session attended by members of the city council, and selectmen from Thomaston, Owls Head, South Thomaston and Cushing in which they said the board should come up with the cuts and that municipal leaders should not be making those recommendations.
Board member Esther “Tess” Kilgour said she supports the administration providing the board with choices that it developed rather than the board micromanaging. She said this process would be similar to what the Rockland City Council did. Kilgour said she would like to see cuts of $1.2 million.
Board member Carol Bachofner reminded the board that the scenarios considered by the council called for cuts at the library and recreation department, services that help people.
After the school boards holds those reviews on July 13, 15 and 16. The district-wide meeting at which residents will set a spending package is set for July 23. A referendum to approve or reject the amount set at that meeting will be held Aug. 18. If the budget is rejected again at the polls, the budget approved by residents on July 23 would be the operational budget for 2015-2016 until a referendum is approved.